The Tokyo-based designer will become the textile company's first wool ambassador from Japan.

A WOOL PAIR:Facetasm and the Woolmark Company are teaming for two capsule collections, kicking off a relationship between the Japanese brand and textile company intended to last beyond the collaboration and foster ties between the Australian wool industry and Japan’s fashion sector.

Facetasm designer and founder Hiromichi Ochiai, who visited Australia to learn about merino wool production, will become the first “global wool ambassador from Japan,” said Woolmark managing director Stuart McCullough in a statement. McCullough noted that the country represents an important market in terms of creativity and quality, and that the partnership was meant to expand merino wool “beyond traditional tailoring.”

“I believe merino wool is an essential ingredient for the brand to move onto the next step in its creation,” said Ochiai, who spent time with sheep farmers on his visit. The first capsule collection will be shown in January in Paris.

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